1
PARKER
Panic courses through me but it’s not mine.
Thea.
I’m running out of my office to find Keelan. She was with Liam tonight, did something happen? By the time I get to the stairs Keelan is barreling down. “You feel it too?” I ask though it’s redundant at this point. He nods, looking like he’s going to rage, which none of us need right now. We need to find her.
“What the hell is going on?” Jake asks as he comes into the hallway, just arriving home from work. “You’re racing down the stairs like there’s a fire.”
“Thea,” Keelan growls. Jake is suddenly on alert; I fill him in on what we feel. He’s on his phone in a second and soon Liam rushes down the stairs.
“Where is she?” Keelan bites out, on edge. I don’t blame him. It’s not just panic now, it’s fear. I’ve never felt fear like she’s feeling.
“We got home about a half hour ago she was fine. She said she might get some food then read for a bit,” Liam explains.
Keelan is already heading to the kitchen, Liam following close behind. Jake is heading towards the opposite direction andI follow him. We pass our offices and go to the small area where he has his bookshelves. She’s lying on the floor, unconscious. My own panic spikes as I yell, “LIAM, LIAM!”
Jake turns her over, checking her pulse. Her phone is on the floor next to her and I pick it up. I wish I wasn’t the one who saw it first. My blood runs cold. “Jake, you should see this.”
Just as I’m handing it to him, Liam and Keelan run in. Liam is in full doctor mode, assessing her and slightly fighting off Keelan who just wants to hold her as close as possible. I can relate. My inner alpha is riding me hard to be reassured she’s alive and okay, even though we know she’s alive through the bond. She must have passed out; I don’t feel her fear or panic anymore.
“Fuck!” Jake shouts, gripping the phone so tightly I’m surprised it doesn’t break. No one pays him attention.
“There’s nothing wrong that I can tell without running tests. What did you feel? Was it pain, like the mini heat?” Liam asks.
“I think she passed out, maybe from a panic attack. We felt panic and fear,” I say.
“Why, she was fine a half hour ago. What could have happened?” Liam says more to himself. I look over to Jake who’s growling. I have never seen him so incensed. Okay looks like I’m updating everyone, I really don’t like being the most adult one at the moment.
“We need to get her somewhere comfortable, Keelan, carry her up to the pack bedroom. Liam, Jake, and I know why she felt that way. Can you get the others and have them meet us upstairs now?”
No one says anything, just does as I ask quickly. I feel like I’m dragging this near feral alpha up two flights of stairs. “Gods, Jake. Pull yourself together. Thea needs you to, your omega needs you.” That seems to penetrate some of the alpha rage taking over. We’re actually the last ones to the room. ThankfullyJake looks like he’s more coherent to tell the guys. I really didn’t want to be the one delivering that news. I would for Thea.
Keelan is sitting with his back to the headboard and Thea is lying in between his legs. He’s combing his fingers through her hair, definitely soothing himself more than her at the moment. Liam is on his left and Eli on his right. Ben and Micah are standing at the foot of the bed. Everyone looks at us when we walk in. Beelining for the bed sitting near the bottom, I put her feet in my lap. My inner alpha is appeased with this small bit of physical touch.
Jake joins Micah and Ben.
“What the fuck happened?” Eli barks.
“He found her,” Jake says darkly. “Her stalker texted her tonight, a message and photos proving he knows where she is. One was of her and Liam at the rink tonight.” I hear a gasp to my right. Liam.
“He was there? That bastard,” Liam growls out.
“No, looks like it was from a security camera. Parker, I’ll need you to get into their systems and see if you can find out how he got in and if you can trace anything back to him.” I nod. I was going to do that anyways, as soon as she’s awake and okay, my office is where I’m going and I’m not leaving there until I find this guy. I never want to feel that kind of fear from her again.
“What are the next steps? You already have the case being handled by the bureau. What did he say in the text?” Ben asks.
A low growl starts up again from Jake, Micah’s eyes widen in surprise. None of us have ever seen him so angry. “He said it’s time for them to be together and he’d see her soon.” A chorus of growls sound throughout the room at that.
“He’s not going to touch her,” Keelan says in a dark voice.
“Agreed,” Eli echoes.
“I need to call Logan and update him on this. We don’t know how long it’ll be before he makes his move. He obviously knowsabout us; he knew to hack into the rink for your date tonight. We should run a sweep on our devices. Parker?”
“On it. Once she wakes up,” I say.
